100 Acre Woods

Today we hit a milestone.  We took the girls to their first movie.  As you can see, the movie was Winnie the Pooh.  Abby and Caroline took all their Pooh stuffed characters.

 Pops and Daddy introduced the girls to The Smurfs on the way into our theater.

 You can't see down our row, but the whole family came out for this big event.  Nonnie, Pops, Little Bubba and Aunt Mary enjoyed the movie too.

 Abby was a little timid and not too sure about the loud volume and previews, but made it through the movie.

 Caroline enjoyed snacks, a drink and LOVED the movie.

 She did not make a peep during the whole movie and never took her eyes off the screen.

Grandpa's Farm

Paw Paw and Pops don't have a farm, but Nonnie and I couldn't wait to teach Abby and Caroline our first grade farm songs.  They are on a CD and have posters that go with them.  The girls have really caught on and had a good time singing them.  Check out Caroline's expressions.  These songs have been perfect for her as she has been learning animals and their sounds.

In the second, third and fourth video we are singing a song about a farmer getting mad at a rooster for waking him up.  The girls are pretending to be asleep and then wake up when the rooster crows.  It has been hilarious to watch Caroline do the motions.

Ahoy, Mate!

As usual, we've been very busy!  So busy . . .I forgot to post about our trip to the Trophy Club sprinkler park last Saturday.  Nonnie and Pops were still gone and Brent had to work, so I recruited my brother to come help with the girls on this outing.  I am thrilled the girls love to play with their Uncle Bubba, Uncle Phil  and Aunt Haley and that their uncles and aunt take such interest in them!

 The park has a pirate theme.  Abby was everywhere.  "Wittle" Bubba was assigned to her and I had Caroline.

 Caroline didn't know what to think at first, but then got used to it.  Her hat shielded her from spraying water, which was a big help.

 I kept her under the shade a lot of the time. The pictures came out darker.

 "Come on, Wittle Bubba!"

 Pushing the button on the cannon to make water shoot out.

 It was difficult to get pics of Caroline while making sure she didn''t fall at the same time.

Welcome Home!

We were excited to welcome home Nonnie and Pops this past Monday.  Abby and I made a welcome home sign and she had a fun time going to the airport to pick up our travelers.  They were in Europe for 2 weeks and this girl was ready to see them.  We usually see Nonnie and Pops almost every day, so their homecoming was a big deal. I'm also glad to have my daytime assistant (Nonnie) back!

 When we got home, Caroline wasted no time climbing in the suitcase to help unpack.

 She found some yummy crackers.

 The girls had fun with the gifts Nonnie and Pops brought back for them.

Abby tries on her  Bobby hat and Harrod's apron from London and her "wooden" slippers from Holland.  Nonnie looked for real wooden shoes, but they don't make them anymore.  The slippers were perfect though.  Abby puts them on the second she gets out of bed every morning.

 Caroline wouldn't try on any of her attire, but she had fun playing with her name train from Montmarte.

 Where's Abby?

Two Yankee Doodle Dandies

On July 4th, the whole family walked in GiGi and PawPaw's neighborhood parade.  We decorated the stroller and trike and headed out to the festivities.  Abby's trike won second place in the bike category of the decorations contest. 

 Walking to the Parade

 A firetruck led the parade and ran sirens periodically to let neighbors know we were coming. 

 Caroline made friends with GiGi and PawPaw's neighbors' grandson.  They were born one day apart.

 They make a cute couple.  Who knows?  Maybe one day these two will be a match.

I really enjoyed walking in the parade.   I get chills when I see so many flags and people coming together to celebrate our country.  A group behind us sang patriotic songs part of the way and a neighbor in the military walked in uniform next to us.  I am glad for these holidays to remind us we are lucky to be free and of those who are fighting for us every day.

Serious Parade Face

 At the end of the parade route, we had popsicles.

 After the parade, we headed to the neighborhood pool to cool off.

Blueberries, a Baby Pool and a Boat

Other activities we enjoyed in Spring included playing in the baby pool in GiGi and PawPaw's backyard, exploring PawPaw's boat and eating Fourth of July food.  In the pictures below, Caroline is eating GiGi's blueberry salad.  She couldn't get enough of it.  What a mess!

 Abby took a break from swimming to water flowers.

Who needs water to have fun on a boat?  You would never know looking at Abby's grin that she was driving this boat in the driveway.

 

Beach Babes

The Anderson Clan loaded up and headed to Spring for the Fourth of July weekend.  We made it a five day get away.  It was a nice change of pace for us.  On Friday, we took the girls down to Galveston with GiGi and PawPaw.  Aunt Haley and Uncle Phil got there early to save us a good spot.

Caroline had so much fun playing in the sand.  We kept her paci in her mouth to keep her from eating it. 

We ate a picnic lunch.  As you can see, Caroline enjoyed her sandwich.

Abby built a sandcastle with Uncle Phil.

Paw Paw took some very big umbrellas and we stayed in the shade most of the time.

Thank you, Kristin,  for picking up these strawberry sun hats.  She is always scouting out Zeta/strawberry clothes and accessories for the girls.  They were a must all weekend!

Both girls really took to the water and waves.  Abby jumped and jumped.  I'm sure Aunt Haley and GiGi had sore arms.

Taking a Break

All rested and ready to jump some more.

These girls played hard.  They were asleep as soon as we got in the car to head home.  I'm so glad they enjoy the beach.  I think there are many beach vacations in our future.